Update on Study Abroad and Custom Programs for Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Beyond

While the United States continues to struggle to respond effectively to COVID-19, several CIEE study abroad and international exchange programs are operating well in Asia, Africa, and Europe this autumn.

Fall 2020 Custom Programs

CIEE has partnered with eight institutions, including Tulane, Rutgers, Penn State, and Syracuse, to provide more than 1,200 of their freshmen, upperclassmen, or graduate students with cohort-based, branded and customized “in country” living and learning experiences in Shanghai, China; Seoul, South Korea; and Legon, Ghana.  

In each custom program, the Chinese, South Korean, and Ghanaian students are able to establish or retain their sense of belonging and connection to their American home schools, while preparing for the eventual transition to their American campuses. Highlights of the custom programs, include:

• Ghana - CIEE’s flagship Intercultural Communication and Leadership course had international students in Legon use photos of their home campus in the United States as a jumping off point for discussions of things that feel familiar and those that are culturally different.
• China - The CIEE Academic Resources and Writing Center is helping students in Shanghai at all levels of English language proficiency develop clear, concise, and effective academic papers.
• South Korea – CIEE organized a moonlight tour of Toksu Palace and Chongdong historic sites for international students in Seoul alongside U.S. students on the CIEE semester abroad program, giving South Korean students a chance to interact with American students while also learning about aspects of modern Korean history.

Fall 2020 Study Abroad Programs

Students from 18 different colleges are currently attending traditional study abroad programs and CIEE Open Campus Block programs in nine CIEE locations, including Berlin, Lisbon, and Seoul. They are embracing many aspects of a traditional study abroad experience even as they embrace safety measures like social distancing, wearing face masks, and seeking testing when necessary.

In addition, dozens of American students are enjoying virtual global internship placements at exciting employers in eight countries around the world, including companies based in Berlin, Boston, Cape Town, Hong Kong, London, New York, Prague, Singapore, and Toronto. 

Spring 2021 Custom and Study Abroad Programs

For spring 2021, we will again partner with U.S. institutions to support cohorts of between 5 and 400+ international students in custom programs at our program sites around the world.

For more details on custom program options, please watch the archived video of a recent webinar. (Registration required.)  Or join us online on October 1, when CIEE, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science, and Intead will be presenting at the NAFSA Region XI Virtual Conference in a session on Turnkey Global Campus Partnerships.

If you feel CIEE’s international program solutions could benefit your institution and international student community, please send us an email and our team will arrange an online consultation at once. Please note, that we expect high-demand locations to fill up quickly for spring 2021, with virtually all current schools indicating interest in extending programs into spring 2021. In addition, visa implications call for allowing extra time for processing visas, especially now.  

Finally, in spring 2021, CIEE is planning to support study abroad programs in 17 locations, pending demand from member schools and students.